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Ben Forte
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Can you cook a cheesecake over charcoal?
A Basque cheesecake, a kettle BBQ and three weekends of trial and mostly error. The answer surprised us.
By Ben Forte
Dessert on a BBQ sounds like a party trick. But the logic is sound: a charcoal kettle holds a steady low temperature, and a Basque cheesecake is basically designed to be blasted with heat. So we tried it. Three times.
Attempt one: optimism and a fire that ran hot
The theory: set the coals for indirect heat at around 180°C, run the cheesecake in a tin on the cool side, close the lid, and wait. The reality: the top caught beautifully — and then kept going. Black is a flavour in the Basque country. This was not that black.
Lesson one: measure the temperature at grate level, not the lid thermometer. The dome runs cooler than where the tin sits.
Attempt two: the turn
Fewer coals, a water pan under the tin, and the cheesecake rotated halfway through. The top came out the colour of dark treacle — properly burnt-tasting, with a centre that still wobbled like a good one should.
The smoke mattered more than expected. A small chunk of mild wood gave the top a subtle savoury edge that made the burnt sugar taste deliberate rather than accidental.
Attempt three: the recipe, locked
Full-fat cream cheese, eggs at room temperature, sugar slightly reduced because the smoke adds its own complexity. 175°C indirect, 50 minutes, rotate at 25, rest in the closed BBQ with the vents shut for 20 minutes after. The result is the best cheesecake we have cooked, charcoal or kitchen.
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